One thing for certain that I can't wrap my mind around is the difference between an illegal drug being sold by that black guy at the corner store vs that black guy with an MD next to his name prescribing the same drug. It's either a legal drug or it's not folks. It's as if the only true separation is the collection of tax.
Maybe if drug dealers made it a thing to pay Taxes on their earnings they can lobby like the legal drug industry for politicians to leave them alone.
Because a lot of medications can do great harm if not taken correctly, and sometimes under medical supervision.
Take antibiotics. A lot of people quit taking them or quit giving them to their kids as soon as they feel better. I get it. It’s easy to forget a dose, you might feel not grest with regards to your digestive tract or you might have to wrestle your 2 year old to get them to swallow their dose, so people don’t finish their script, They take enough to feel fine which is enough to kill off all but the most resistant of the bacteria—and those just continue to grow and pass on their antibiotic resistant genes to the next generation abd the next….So, now we have a bunch of antibiotic resistant strains of all kinds of things. All of this was made worse because we started raising livestock in crowded inhumane conditions and then started incorporating antibiotics into their diets as a regular thing, now, we have a very limited number of effective antibiotics and a lot of drug resistant strains out there,
But you’re thinking mostly of drugs that can cause dependence. Doctors prescribed pain
meds, usually 30 days worth for a post op patient. Me? I will take them for a day. Some people experience more pain and need the full 30 days. Or more. But most people hang on to the extras for just in case. And for people who get grabbed by the meds—and some people absolutely do! I know I’m extremely lucky that so far, that’s never been me. It’s not because I’m so strong willed and full of self control. It’s because, thanks to a fluke of genetics, so far, I’ve never felt that pull. I’m extremely grateful.
People pass some around to a friend or family who can’t afford a doctor pr can’t get a script. Maybe because their doc knows they quickly become dependent. Or knows it’s not good for someone with their condition or who is taking some different medication, Or whatever, or someone goes shopping in other peoples medicine cabinets. I don’t know. It has as much appeal for me as dropping a brick on my toe.
Or for some people, they have other medical conditions that can make taking some meds dangerous or deadly. A long time ago, a friend’s mother died because she had a celebratory drink or two when her husband returned from overseas. The doctor never warned her because she didn’t ordinarily drink. It interacted with a medication she was taking for a heart condition and killed her.
Lots of medications can have bad side effects or others can be dangerous without medical supervision to ensure they are taken properly. A lot of people who are otherwise smart are just not medically sophisticated and do not realize the dangers of mixing this with that or skipping doses or doubling up or taking when you are also drinking alcohol.
It’s not different than saying if it’s legal for Mary the pilot to fly a passenger plane then Toni who can drive a car and read a lot in the internet and watched several TikToks should be able to hop in the cockpit and fly just the same as Mary,
Even under medical supervision, some people make mistakes, don’t take their meds as prescribed. Some doctors over prescribe or under prescribe and some don’t listen well to their patients. Not every doctor is good at their job, unfortunately.
I understand the argument that recreational drugs should be available for those who want to take them. Ok, but there are people who absolutely will believe that they can get a better high off the illicit stuff. I mean, how else do you explain bath salts?? I knew someone from when he was a kid and liked to play GI Joe in my basement like that. Wrecked up his life and did a lot of damage to his family as well, all before he was 25. Bright kid, well liked, good student, good family who loved him. Drugs made him batshit crazy.
No one is an island. Messing yourself up on whatever to the point you don’t function as a member of society hurts a lot more than just you.